Head of Trading (Fintech/Payments)

Black Pen Recruitment; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive Compensation

Startup environment with massive growth

Mission-Driven Work

Job summary

A high-growth fintech company in Cape Town is seeking a commercially driven Head of Trading to lead their trading team. This hybrid role involves real-time market making and pricing across FX and crypto pairs, negotiating with clients, and improving trading infrastructure. The ideal candidate should have 5-10 years of market making experience, strong client interaction skills, and the ability to collaborate with technical teams. Competitive compensation and a mission-driven work environment are offered.

Qualifications

• 5-10 years of experience in spot or derivative market making.
• Prior experience in OTC, institutional crypto or FX trading.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

Responsibilities

• Make competitive two-way prices across major and emerging market FX pairs.
• Quote spot FX and crypto prices directly to institutional clients.
• Collaborate with quant and engineering teams to improve trading infrastructure.

Skills

Market making

Client interaction

Risk management

Pricing models

Analytical mindset

Technical collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Finance, Economics, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field

Tools

FIX protocols

WebSocket APIs

Job description

Our client is a high-growth fintech company building the next generation of payment infrastructure acrossAfrica. Their mission is to make money movement seamless, inclusive, and scalable across borders. They operate at the intersection of financial innovation and real-world impact, empowering businesses and consumers with tools to thrive in a rapidly digitizing economy.

Role Overview

Our client is looking for a commercially driven and technically savvy Head of Trading to join their trading team. The role involves real-time market making and pricing across spot FX and crypto pairs, direct client negotiation, and active involvement in developing and improving pricing engines and trading infrastructure. This is a hybrid role requiring deep market insight, strong client-facing skills, and the ability to collaborate with developers and quants on trading system enhancements.

Job Type: Full Time.Permanent

Workplace: Hybrid

Location: Cape Town

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Finance, Economics, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• Professional certifications (e.g., CFA, CA, FASSA) are advantageous but not required
• 5-10 years of experience in spot or derivative market making.
• Prior experience in OTC, institutional crypto or FX trading is highly preferred.
• Proven track record in pricing, risk management, and client interaction in fast-moving markets.
• Experience with both centralized and decentralized crypto venues is a strong advantage.
• Strong understanding of pricing models, market making, order books, and market dynamics.
• Familiarity with FIX protocols, WebSocket APIs, and trading platform integrations.
• Ability to work closely with technical teams to test, validate, and deploy system updates.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong attention to detail and high risk awareness.
• Calm under pressure and confident in decision-making during market volatility.
• Entrepreneurial, analytical, and collaborative mindset.

Responsibilities

Pricing and Trading

• Make competitive two-way prices across major and emerging market FX pairs and leading crypto assets (e.g., BTC, USDT).
• Monitor liquidity venues, OTC flows, and market depth to optimize pricing and execution quality.
• Maintain real-time visibility on P&L, inventory, spreads, and risk exposures.
• Execute trades and manage flows while adhering to defined risk limits and compliance policies.

Client Interaction

• Quote spot FX and crypto prices directly to institutional and high-volume clients.
• Negotiate trade terms and manage client expectations on pricing and execution.
• Act as a market intelligence source, providing insights into market movements and pricing rationale.
• Collaborate with the sales team to support onboarding, pricing strategies, and client retention.

System & Infrastructure Development

• Work with quant and engineering teams to improve the pricing engine, trading algorithms, and execution logic.
• Suggest and test enhancements for latency reduction, pricing accuracy, and auto-hedging logic.
• Analyze trade data to optimize spreads, slippage, and trading performance.
• Help define requirements and test cases for system upgrades, new product launches, and venue integrations.

COO Support

• Collaborate with the COO to enhance business processes and revenue-generation strategies.
• Assist with ad hoc tasks and initiatives as needed.
• Attend stakeholder meetings on behalf of the COO when required.

Benefits

• Mission-Driven Work: The opportunity to work on solving cross-boarder payments in Africa. Connecting us to the world, and the world to us.
• A startup environment with massive growth: High pace, high growth where your work directly shapes and impacts the company.
• Competitive Compensation: A salary package that matches your expertise and the market rate.